This invention relates to a flap simulator for an aircraft.
An aircraft generally has a flap associated with each wing of the aircraft. The flap controls the braking as well as the ascent and descent of the aircraft by moving along a track on the wing. A motorized drive moves the flap along this track to orient the flap up or down relative to the wing.
In the service of the aircraft, it may be necessary to remove the flap from the wing of the aircraft. The flap is disengaged from the motorized drive and then removed from the track that supports the flap on the wing. Typically, the motorized drive has a long threaded rod that is rotated by a motor to move the flap along the track. The motorized drive follows, to some degree, the path of the flap and is accordingly free to move relative to the wing of the aircraft. Because of this design, the threaded rod will flop downward when the flap is removed from the wing.
To test the motorized drive of the flap, a technician is required to hold the threaded rod of the drive as if the flap were installed. Each flap may have multiple tracks and accordingly multiple technicians are required to support each of the threaded rods as the motorized drives are run. Each of these technicians must be attentive during this testing process to avoid causing damage to the motorized drive.
It is therefore desirable to produce an assembly or device that permits the motorized drive of the aircraft to be tested and supported without the additional labor associated with current maintenance techniques.